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U.S. sales of BMW X models drop in August

Sales of BMW’s Spartanburg-produced X models dropped more than 30% during the month of August. The X3, X5 and X6 experienced domestic sales declines of 37.5%, 25.3% and 40.5% respectively. In all, BMW Group sales in the U.S. were off 8.2% for the month.

Despite the decline, the X5 remained the best-selling X model with more than 30,000 sold in the first eight months of the year. The only year-over-year increase in the X models came with the X4 which jumped 16.4% year-over-year.

X models sold 6,845 during the month of August compared to 9,801 in August 2016 — a 30.2% year-over-year decline.

Bernhard Kuhnt, president and CEO of BMW of North America blamed the decline on new production change-overs for the X3 and X5.

“August numbers were a bit unusual in that sedans outpaced our SAV’s as model year change over for the X5 and new model production of the X3 significantly restricted availability of our especially popular SAV models,” Kuhnt said, in a statement. “This of course will improve as production ramps up.”

For the first eight months of the year, X model sales are up 4.6% year-over-year in the United States with the X3 and X5 both experiencing sales growth. The X4 and X6 have seen U.S. sales decline more than 11% year-over-year.

Only two segments of BMW’s sedan division — the X1 and 4 Series — have seen sales increases in the first eight months of the year. In August, the 4 Series had a 49.3% increase in sales while sales of the X1 jumped 39%.